Refrigerator liner and evaporator coil secured to the exterior thereof



T. G. REFRIGERATOR LINER AND EVAPORATOR COIL Aprifl 12, 1949. CRIDER SECURED TO THE EXTERIOR THEREOF Filed Jan. 10, 1946 INVENTORB Patented Apr. 12,1949

.tEFRIGERATOR LINER AND EVAPORATOR COIL SECURED TO THE EXTERIOR THEREOF Thomas Graham Crider, Fayetteville, N. Y., as-

signor to Carrier Corporation, Syracuse, N. Y., a corporation of Delaware Application January 10, 1946, Serial No. 640,168

6 Claims. 1

This invention relates to refrigeration cabinets such as home or farm freezers and more particularly to a refrigeration cabinet including novel and improved means for maintaining a heat exchanger such as an evaporator coil in desired position adjacent the wall of the cabinet enclosing a storage compartment.

The chief object of the present invention is to provide a refrigeration cabinet including novel and improved means for holding a heat exchanger such as an evaporator coil in desired position adjacent the exterior wall of the cabinet liner.

An object of the invention is to provide a refrigeration cabinet in which plate members cooperate with fastening means aflixed to the exterior wall of the cabinet liner to secure the evaporator coil in desired position against the exterior wall of the cabinet liner.

A further object is to provide a refrigeration cabinet in which ratchet members affixed to the exterior wall of the cabinet liner cooperate with plate members fitted over adjacent sections of the evaporator coil to. secure the coil in place adcuring a heat exchanger such as an evaporator coil adjacent a liner forming a storage compartment, such arrangement permitting the refrigeration system to be processed and tested apart from the liner thereby eliminating the possibility of damage to the liner which might occur during processing.

A still further object of my invention is to provide a method of assembling a refrigeration cabinet. Other objects of my invention will be readily perceived from the following description.

This invention relates to a refrigeration cabinet which comprises in combination an inner liner forming a storage compartment, an exterior decorative shelf enclosing the liner and spaced therefrom. insulation material disposed between the liner and the shell, means extending about the exterior wall of the liner adapted to maintain the storage compartment at a desired temperature, and members holding said means in desired position on the exterior wall of the liner.

2 Preferably, ratchet nails are welded to the exterior wall of the liner, the coil disposed about the liner, and plate members having recesses adapted to receive adjacent sections of the coil fitted thereover and secured to the wall of the liner by means of the ratchet nails.

This invention further relates to a method of I assembling a refrigeration cabinet in which the steps comprise disposing a coil about the exterior wall of the liner enclosing a storage compartment, placing a plate member in engagement with the coil, and urging the, plate member in engagement with fastening means on the liner wall to hold the coil in desired position adjacent the wall of the liner.

The attached drawing illustrates a preferred embodiment of the present invention, in which:

Figure 1 is a view partly in elevation and partly in section illustrating the plate members securing the coil to the exterior wall of the liner;

Figure 2 is a fragmentary view in elevation of a plate member securing the coil to the wall of the liner;

Figure 3 is a sectional view illustrating the manner in which the coil and securing members are disposed in position adjacent the exterior wall of the liner; and

Figure 4 is a sectional view similar to Figure 3 illustrating the manner in which the coil is held in desired position adjacent the exterior wall of the liner.

Referring to the drawing, there is shown a refrigeration cabinet 2 such as a home or farm freezer. Cabinet 2 includes an exterior decorative shell 3 and an inner liner 4 spaced therefrom and forming a storage compartment. The space between shell 3 and liner 4 is filled or packed with insulation material 5 of any suitable type, such as corkboard, fibrous material, mineral wool, glas wool, or the like.

A heat exchanger 6, such as an evaporator coil, is disposed about the exterior wall of liner 4 and serves to maintain the storage compartment at a desired temperature by means of conduction through the wall. Preferably, coil 6 extends about two sides of liner 4, then across the bottom of the liner and about the other two sides of liner 4. It will be understood that suitable refrigeration equipment (not shown) is provided to supply refrigerant to coil 6 in order that it may maintain the storage compartment at a desired temperature.

Coil 6 is held in contact with the exterior wall of liner 4 by means of plate members 1. Plate members! are formed with recesses 8 adjacent the 3 edges thereof, recesses I being adapted to receive and fit over adjacent sections of coil 4 as best shown in Figure 2. Openings s-are provided in the body portion ill of each plate member I. Ratchet members H such as ratchet nails are projection welded to the wall of liner 4 in required position to extend through the openings 8 in plate member I. Cup-shaped members ii, for example cup-shaped washers, are adapted to fit over the portions of ratchet members II which extend through openings 9 and to have their edges in engagement with the body portion III of plate member I as shown in Figure 3.

-When it is desired ,to attach plate members I to the wall of liner 4, the cup shaped members are urged toward the wall of the liner, bowing body portion Ill of plate member I to force portions thereof forming recesses 8 in close contact with adjacent sections of coil 6 and supporting such sections adjacent or in contact with the wall of the liner. It will be understood that the ratchet portions of members ll cooperate with the cup shaped members I2 and permit ready movement thereof toward the wall of the liner but prevent movement of such members in an opposite direction thus assuring that the plate member is securely held in position to hold adjacent sections of coil 6 against the wall of liner 4.

The provision of such plate members enhances the uniformity of conduction throughout the wall of the liner. It will be noted a thermal insulating space is formed by body portion ill of member 1 between itself and the wall of the liner; the thermal insulating space so provided aids in uniform conduction throughout the wall of the liner since it assures that the portion of the liner between adjacent sections of the coil is substantially uniformly cooled by conduction through the wall from the portions of the wall adjacent such sections of the coil.

In assembling the refrigeration cabinet of my invention ratchet members II are welded in spaced relation on the exterior wall of liner 4 which encloses a storag compartment in the assembled structure. Coil 6 of the refrigeration equipment is then disposed about the exterior wall of liner 4. Plate members I are fitted about adjacent sections of coil 6 with recesses 8 of such members receiving the sections of coil 6. Ratchet members i l protrude through openings 9 in plate members 1. over the ends of members II and are forced toward the exterior wall of the liner, bowing the body portions ID of members 'I to bring the walls of recesses 8 in secure engagement with adjacent sections of coil 6 and holding such sections securely against the wall of the liner.

Insulation material is then disposed within the shell 3 of the structure and liner 4 carrying the assembled coil 6 is placed therein. The edges of the shell 3 and liner 4 are then sealed to prevent penetration of moisture into the space therebetween and a decorative breaker strip placed thereover.

This invention provides a simple and ready means for securing an evaporator coil in desired position in a refrigeration cabinet; The means so provided are inexpensively and so designed as to expedite the assembling ofthe structure. As pointed out above, the thermal insulating space provided between adjacent sections of coil assists in the attainment of uniform conduction throughout the wall of the liner to maintain the storage compartment at a desired temperature. The means provided for securing the evaporator Cup shaped members l2 are disposed v coil in position adjacent the wall of the liner.

forming the storage compartment may be easily and quickly disposed in position thus aiding in ready and speedy assembly of the refrigeration structure. An additional advantage of the present invention resides in the fact that the securing means so provided enables the refrigeration system to be processed and tested separate or apart from the liner thus preventing discoloration of or damage to the decorative coating of the liner during the processing operation.

While I have described and illustrated a preferred embodiment of my invention, it will be understood my invention is not limited thereto since it may be otherwise embodied within the scope of the following claims.

I claim:

1. In a refrigerator, the combination of an exterior decorative shell, an inner liner forming the wall of a storage compartment, insulation material disposed between the shell and the liner, a coil extending about the exterior wall of the liner adapted to maintain the storage compartment at a desired temperature, ratchet members secured at spaced intervals on the wall of the liner, a plate member adjacent the wall of the liner, said plate member having longitudinally extendlng recesses at its edges fitting adjacent sections of said coil, said plate member having a body portion connecting its recessed portions, said body portion having openings through which said ratchet members protrude, and cup-shaped members fitting against the body portion of the plate member and engaging the ratchet members and thereby securing the plate member in position adjacent the wall of the liner, said plate member holding adjacent coil sections securely against the wall of the liner.

2. A refrigerator according to claim 1 in which the body portion of the plate member extends between adjacent sections of coil and forms a thermal insulating space between it and the wall of the liner.

3. In the method of assembling a refrigerator, the steps which comprise disposing a coil about the exterior wall of a liner enclosing a storage compartment, placing a plate member in engagement with adjacent sections of the coil and in such position that fastening means on the wall of the liner may protrude therethrough, placing a holding member over the plate in engagement with the fastening means, and bowing the plate member by forcing the holding member toward the liner wall thereby holding the coil securely against the liner wall.

4. In the method of assembling a refrigerator, the steps which comprise securing ratchet members in spaced relation on the exterior wall of a liner enclosing a storage compartment, disposing a coil about the exterior wall of the liner, placing a plate member having recesses formed therein to receive adjacent coil sections over the coil with ratchet members protruding therethrough, placing a cup-shaped washer over each protruding ratchet member with its edge portion in contact with the plate, and forcing the washer toward the wall of the liner to bow the plate member thereby holding the coil securely against the liner wall.

5. In a refrigerator, the combination Of an inner liner forming the wall of a storage compartment, a coil placed adjacent the exterior surface of the liner adapted to maintain the storage compartment at a desired temperature, fastening means on the exterior surface of the liner, a plate member, said plate member having recesses receiving adjacent sections of the coil and having a portion extending between the recesses spaced from the surface of the liner and means cooperating with said fastening means to lock the plate member in place thereby holding the coil in position adjacent the wall of the liner, the portion of the plate member extending between the recesses being bowed to draw the plate tightly in engagement with adjacent coil sections.

6. In a refrigerator, the combination of an exterior shell, an inner liner forming the wall of a storage compartment, insulation material disposed between the shell and the liner, a coil extending about the exterior surface of the liner adapted to maintain the storage compartment at a desired temperature, securing members placed at spaced intervals on the exterior sur-' face of the liner, a plate member adjacent the wall of the liner, said plate member having recesses therein fitting adjacent sections of the coil, said plate member having a body portion connecting its recessed portions, said body portion REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,987,422 Steenstrup Jan. 8, 1935: 2,117,082 Darbyshire May 10, 1938 2,339,944 Preble Jan. 24, 1944 2,361,792 Philipp Oct. 31, 944 2,363,530 Iwashita Nov. 28, 1944 

